Equipment for receiving a weapon, especially a small-calibre weapon, such as a small-arm, for a test bench

ABSTRACT

“Equipment for receiving a weapon, especially a small-calibre weapon, such as a small-arm, for a test bench” 
     Equipment for receiving a small-calibre weapon for a test bench having a mount provided with receiving means for securing the weapon.  
     The equipment comprises  
     a receiving means ( 4, 5 ) provided with clamping screws ( 9, 12 ) for receiving and locking in position the weapon (A) to be tested,  
     a positioning means ( 6, 7, 11 ) carried by the receiving means ( 4, 5 ),  
     an interface ( 10 ) moulded on the weapon (A) and the positioning means ( 6, 7, 11 ),  
     the clamping screws ( 9, 12 ) connected to the receiving means ( 4, 5 ) and clamping the moulded interface ( 10 ) against the weapon (A).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to equipment for receiving a weapon,especially a small-calibre weapon, for a test bench, especially asmall-arm or a long weapon which has a complicated shape or which can bedismantled, and this equipment comprises a mount provided with receivingmeans for securing the weapon.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

[0002] According to document FR 92 05 643, there is already a test benchfor small-calibre weapons. This test bench is suitable above all forlong weapons or hip weapons that provide gripping regions enabling theweapon to be fastened in the equipment. However, this fastening ispractically impossible in the case of small-arms and for some longweapons that have a complicated shape or that can be dismantled becauseit is not possible rapidly to install such a weapon in a fasteningstirrup comprising fastening screws which clamp the weapon from oppositesides and keep it locked in position.

OBJECT AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In order to overcome those disadvantages, the present inventionproposes to develop equipment enabling a small-calibre weapon, such as asmall-arm or a special-form gun, to be secured, ensuring the reliabilityof the shots fired and at the same time simplifying installation andenabling a weapon to be mounted/dismounted rapidly in the case of testson series of weapons so that these tests can be carried out as rapidlyand efficiently as possible.

[0004] To that end, the invention relates to equipment for receiving aweapon of the type defined above, characterised in that it comprises

[0005] a receiving means provided with clamping screws for receiving andlocking in position the weapon to be tested,

[0006] a positioning means carried by the receiving means,

[0007] an interface moulded on the weapon and the positioning means,

[0008] the clamping screws connected to the receiving means and clampingthe moulded interface against the weapon.

[0009] Owing to the interface moulded on the weapon and the positioningmeans, precise and repeatable locking is obtained for the weaponrelative to the positioning means, even for weapons that are difficult,or even impossible, to fasten with conventional means owing to theirregularity of their shape or the very reduced possibilities forfastening in a conventional test bench. Thus, the equipment according tothe invention enables a small-arm to be fastened in a stable manner byits butt without any risk that the weapon will be displaced relative tothe receiving means under the effect of impact and vibration as eachshot is fired. Despite this efficient locking in position by the butt,the base of the butt remains accessible for a change of magazine. Thisenables firing precision to be considerably improved and enables theinfluence of the test bench on the result to be reduced.

[0010] In a particularly practical manner, the moulded interface iscomposed of thermoformable plastics material. It is necessary only toheat a mass of plastics material, for example in the form of granules,to the softening temperature and then to remove the mass from the heatsource, for example a tank containing heated water, in order to envelopthe butt of the small-arm over a portion of its periphery and place theweapon so coated with its mass of plastics material between thepositioning means and then to tighten the clamping screws and allowcooling to take place. The result is a precise mould for receiving thebutt of the weapon, and also precise positioning because the mould ismarked by the grooves of the positioning means.

[0011] According to one advantageous feature, the equipment intended fora small-arm is characterised in that

[0012] the receiving means is a seat which is secured to the mount ofthe test bench,

[0013] the positioning means is constituted by two grooved plates whichare connected by clamping screws which extend through them and which arefastened to the seat,

[0014] the grooved surfaces of the plates being turned towards oneanother in order to receive between them the interface moulded on theweapon.

[0015] It is advantageous if the equipment comprises positioning membersin addition to the clamping screws and if the grooves of the channelsare distributed in a grid pattern.

[0016] The invention relates also to equipment of the type defined abovethat is applicable to a long weapon or a hip weapon. This equipment isthen characterised in that

[0017] the receiving means is a U-shaped stirrup provided withpositioning means constituted by imprint-marking screws screwed into theU-shaped stirrup and extending through the latter in a limited manner inorder to project into the housing of the U-shaped stirrup,

[0018] these imprint-marking screws being replaced by clamping screwswhich clamp the weapon after the interface has set, being accommodatedin the imprints produced by the marking screws.

[0019] In this embodiment, it is no longer necessary to have two groovedplates which hold the weapon only by its sides and not by its centralportion and the base of the butt used to introduce and provide access tothe magazine because it is possible to surround from beneath and by wayof the lateral sides the portion of the weapon to be gripped and theimprint-marking screws by packing into the stirrup the soft plasticsmaterial thus put in place.

[0020] After cooling, it is easy to unscrew the marking screws and tounmould the plastics material.

[0021] In this case, therefore, the interface is in the shape of a U,matching the U-shape of the stirrups.

[0022] Since the mass of expanded thermoplastic material is moist, it isadvantageous if the marking screws, which are also in direct contactwith this still moist and hot plastics material, are composed ofstainless steel.

[0023] The invention relates also to a method for using the receivingequipment, in the case of receiving and positioning means in the form ofplates; this method is characterised in that

[0024] a mass of thermoformable plastics material is prepared by heatingit in order to bring it into the plastic state,

[0025] the thermoformable plastics mass is applied in the pasty statedivided into one or more portions to the regions of the weapon to beclamped,

[0026] the weapon is installed between the grooved plates and theassembly is clamped onto the seat,

[0027] when the plastics material has hardened, the interface may beunmoulded and/or tests may be carried out.

[0028] The method can be applied also to the manufacture of an interfacefor weapons that have a complicated shape or that can be dismantled andthat do not enable stirrups to be easily used, the method beingcharacterised in that

[0029] a mass of thermoformable plastics material is prepared by heatingit in order to soften it and bring it into the plastic state,

[0030] the weapon is installed in the stirrup,

[0031] the mass is applied in the plastic state divided into one or moreportions to the regions of the weapon to be clamped,

[0032] the portion of the weapon to be gripped and the imprint-markingscrews are surrounded from below and from the lateral sides by packinginto the stirrup the soft plastics material thus put in place,

[0033] when the imprint has set, unmoulding is carried out,

[0034] the marking screws are replaced by the clamping screws in thestirrup in order to clamp the plastics interfaces on the weapon fortests, the clamping screws being accommodated in the housings producedusing the marking screws.

[0035] Those two methods are simple to implement. In both cases, animprint of plastics material is obtained which is preserved for a seriesof adjustments and shots for weapons of the same type.

DRAWINGS

[0036] The present invention will be described hereinafter in moredetail with the aid of the appended drawings in which:

[0037]FIG. 1 is a general view of a test bench whose mount is providedwith equipment for receiving a small-arm according to the presentinvention,

[0038]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the receiving means,

[0039]FIG. 3 is a side view of a small-arm installed in the receivingmeans of FIG. 2,

[0040]FIG. 4 is a top view of a receiving means in the form of a seatprovided with two grooved plates,

[0041]FIG. 5 is a view of the seat before the interface is put in place,

[0042]FIG. 6 is a front view of a plate showing the channels of thevertical and horizontal grooves, this plate being arranged on thespindles of the seat,

[0043]FIG. 7 is a side view of the seat provided with the mouldingplate,

[0044]FIG. 8 shows the same seat as FIG. 7 but with the small-arm,

[0045]FIG. 9 is a view corresponding to that of FIG. 8 with thethermofusible portion put in place around the butt of the weapon,

[0046]FIG. 10 shows the closure of the receiving and positioning meansaround the butt of the weapon,

[0047]FIG. 11 is a view analogous to that of FIG. 1 of the whole of atest bench whose mount is provided with equipment for receiving a longweapon according to the present invention,

[0048]FIG. 12 is a view of an imprint-marking screw,

[0049]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a clamping screw.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0050] The present invention relates to equipment for receiving asmall-calibre weapon A for a test bench 1 such as that shown in FIG. 1.The test bench is composed of a mount 2 which is provided with differentazimuth- and sight-adjustment means and which carries two receivingmeans in the form of symmetrical lateral sliding plates 3, 4 that are toreceive two U-shaped stirrups which are themselves symmetrical and whichnormally receive a long small-calibre weapon in order to lock it inposition and test it.

[0051] The equipment according to the invention is installed on one ofthe two lateral sliding plates 3, 4 of the mount 2 and is composed of areceiving means 5 in the form of a seat carrying the weapon A which isclamped at its butt CR in such a manner as to leave free the lower endEI of the butt CR in order to gain access to the magazine, that is tosay, in order to be able to replace the magazine without having todismount the weapon A, for a series of test shots.

[0052] The various means making up the seat 5 appear, in particular, inFIG. 2. The seat 5 carries a positioning means formed by two groovedplates 6, 7 which are generally symmetrical in accordance with a planeand which are connected by positioning spindles and by screws 9 (FIG.3). The plates 6, 7 whose grooves face one another are not applieddirectly against the weapon but against an interface which is moulded onthe weapon and which is not shown in FIG. 2.

[0053] This embodiment is intended very especially for securingsmall-arms while the second embodiment described afterwards andrepresented by means of FIGS. 11 to 13 is intended for long weapons orhip weapons having a complicated shape which may be readily securedusing the known means mentioned above.

[0054]FIG. 4 is a simplified top view of the seat 5 showing a clampingnut 51 and operating handles 52 for screwing the wedges placed in a rail(not shown) of the mount in order to lock the seat 5 in position on therail of the mount. The seat 5 also comprises two trued-up parallelpositioning pins 53, 54 which are to cooperate with the grooved plate 6applied against the seat 5. The grooved plate 6 comprises a surface 61which is opposite that 62 on the side where the seat is located andwhich comprises vertical and horizontal grooves in the form of widechannels.

[0055] The plate 7 which is to be placed against the outside of the buttof the weapon according to FIG. 3 also has grooves in the form ofchannels 71 in its face turned towards the inside of the device whilethe outer face 72 is flat.

[0056] Finally, FIG. 4 shows the assembly screws 9 whose length ischosen as a function of the spacing (e) which is required between thegrooved plates 6, 7 in order to clamp a given type of small-arm, aftersurrounding the small-arm with a layer of thermoformable material havinga thickness suitable, on the one hand, for correctly surrounding andclamping the butt and, on the other hand, for correctly distributing thepressure exerted by the clamping screws as will be seen hereinafter.Depending on the thickness of the butt and of the plastics material,clamping screws 9 of suitable length will be chosen.

[0057] The various steps involved in putting a small-arm in place in thetest bench will be described hereinafter by means of FIGS. 5 to 10.

[0058]FIG. 5 is a side view of the seat 5 with the two operating handles52 for locking the seat in position on the rail of the lateral slidingplate of the mount (not shown). This seat 5 comprises the trued-upparallel positioning pins 53, 54 and openings 55 for receiving thescrews 9 in order to mould and clamp the interface on the butt with theinterposition of the grooved plates. The seat 5 comprises a given numberof internally threaded openings for receiving grooved plates 6, 7 havinga symmetrical form enabling the equipment according to the invention tobe used in the opposite manner, independently of the lateral slidingplate (of the test bench) used and the need to have access to theweapon.

[0059]FIG. 6 is a side view of a clamping plate (for example, here thegrooved plate 6) showing the distribution of the grooves 61 inhorizontal and vertical lines. The grooves forming the grid pattern havea clearance angle facilitating the unmoulding of the interfaces. Thisplate also has the openings 62, 63 for the passage of the trued-upparallel pins 53, 54 of the seat and also three openings 64 for thepassage of the screws 9.

[0060] This grooved plate 6 is placed on the seat 5 as shown in FIG. 7.The weapon A (FIG. 8) is then put in place after interposing between thebutt CR and the grooved surface of the plate 6 a mass of thermoformablematerial constituting the interface. This same mass or a different massis arranged on the other face of the butt CR. In the example of FIG. 9,the mass 10 applied below the butt CR is folded towards the front of thebutt leaving free the access route to the various members of the pistol,and also the openings for the ejection and introduction of the magazine.After folding the mass 10 of plastics material around the butt,preferably leaving the front free, the second plate 7 (FIG. 10) isapplied, observing the alignment of the holes for the passage of theclamping screws 9, then the three clamping screws 9 are introduced andthe three clamping screws 9 are tightened progressively in order not topush away excessively the still-soft plastics material; finally, theplastics material is left to cool and solidify before unmoulding iscarried out. After setting, it is possible either to unmould or leavethe weapon in position, carry out tests and then only dismount theweapon in order to place another identical weapon there for tests. Theinterface(s), that is to say, the masses of plastics material dividedinto one or more portions, contribute at the same time as the testbenches to ensuring the reference position of the weapon in space. Thisenables the human parameter during test firing to be eliminated, in thecase of both small-arms and long weapons.

[0061] FIGS. 11 to 13 show a variant of the invention. This casecorresponds to long weapons having a complicated shape or structurewhich prevents the use of traditional means for securing a weapon with aview to firing an adjusting shot.

[0062]FIG. 11 shows a general view of a test bench provided withequipment for receiving a long weapon AL. This test bench, like theprevious test bench, is composed of a mount 102 provided with variousazimuth- and sight-adjusting means. It carries two receiving means inthe form of symmetrical lateral sliding plates 103, 104 which are toreceive two U-shaped stirrups which are themselves symmetrical, andwhich receive the long weapon AL in order to lock it in position andtest it. As before, the equipment according to the invention isinstalled on the two lateral sliding plates 103, 104 of the mount 102and is composed of interfaces which are integrated in the U-shapedstirrups.

[0063] Since it is not necessary in this case to have an opening towardsthe bottom in order to free the base of the butt as in the case of asmall-arm, stirrups, for example the stirrup 103, 104 represented inFIG. 11, are used. These stirrups are mounted on the lateral slidingplate of the mount 102 by means of clamping nuts which can be tightenedwith the indexable operating handles 141, 142. Imprint-marking screws 11like those represented in detailed manner in FIG. 12 are mounted inthese stirrups at the site of the clamping screws. After the positioningof the imprint-marking screws 11 (with a calculated overshoot limitingtheir excessive overshooting in the volume of the lower housing of thestirrup) the portion of the weapon to be gripped and the imprint-markingscrews are surrounded from below and from the lateral sides with thethermoformable plastics material which has been softened to the pastystate and which is applied by packing. The portion of the weapon to befastened (not shown) is enveloped in thermoformable plastics materialsoftened to the pasty state. The screws 11 (FIG. 12) have a body 11-1which is preferably terminated by a half-sphere 11-2. Upstream of thesmooth body 11-1, there is a threaded portion 11-3 and finally a head11-4. The diameter of the threaded portion 11-3 and the diameter of thehead 11-4 differ in order to form a shoulder 11-5 by way of which thehead 11-4 bears against the outer face of the U-shaped stirrup in orderthus to limit the penetration distance of the screw 11 into the mass ofthermoformable plastics material. This abutment is necessary in order toavoid a reduction in the thickness of material which exists on the wallof the weapon in front of the clamping screw.

[0064] The imprint-marking screws project in accordance with anovershoot calculated to avoid any excessive overshooting in the volumeof the mass of the interface in order to prevent the clamping screwsfrom coming into direct contact with the weapon. The consequence of thatwould be to constrain the weapon during clamping rather than toconstrain the interface, that is to say, the gripping jaws.

[0065] It should also be observed that the imprint-marking screwsreplace the clamping screws during the stage of moulding the interface.Since the clamping screws have a ¾ spherical head, that is to say, aneck portion constituting an undercut region, it would not be possibleto unmould the thermoplastics mass after it had set, with respect to theclamping screws. In contrast, the imprint-marking screws have ahemi-spherical end which does permit unmoulding after the formation ofthe imprints in the thermoplastic mass.

[0066] After thus moulding the interface on the weapon and on thepositioning means, such as the imprint-marking screws 11 (FIG. 12), theplastics material is left to cool and solidify and then the screws 11are unscrewed and replaced by clamping screws 12 formed from a threadedbody 12-1 terminated at the front by a hemispherical ball 12-2 and atthe rear by a knurled wheel 12-3 with a knurled counternut wheel 12-4for locking (FIG. 13).

[0067] When the thermoformable plastics material has set, it is possibleeither to remove the weapon and use the moulded interface to adjustother weapons, or to adjust the weapon.

[0068] The imprint-marking screws are composed of stainless steel whilethe clamping screws are composed of burnished steel. The plasticsmaterial used for the interface is polyurethane.

[0069] The thermoformable plastics material described above may bereplaced by a similar material, especially compact bicomponent epoxypastes used to secure portions that make up the weapons and thatgenerate high temperatures. What is involved is above all a deviceaccording to the invention for long weapons.

[0070] It is also possible to produce the thermoformable plasticsinterfaces on the two stirrups of a test bench. The two interfaces arenot produced simultaneously on the stirrups but in succession becauseone of the stirrups is used to keep the weapon in place while mouldingis carried out using the other stirrup. This technique is applicable tolong weapons.

[0071] According to another feature, the interface may be in the shapeof a U, in a single piece or in several pieces depending on theconfiguration of the weapon. The form in several pieces (multimodularform) facilitates unmoulding and prevents the weapon from being trappedin the interface. This solution is applicable very especially to longweapons.

[0072] Furthermore, the solution of thermoformable plastics interfacesis very especially suitable for securing long and semi-long weaponsproduced from sheet steel or from hollow plastics material which arerenowned for being difficult to secure.

[0073] According to a variant of the above method, it is possible tomass-produce interfaces starting from the thermoformable plasticsinterfaces. For that purpose, it is possible in particular to makecalculations and machine or to use a method for the injection ofplastics material. The interfaces, thus mass-produced, constituteinterface gripping jaws. These jaws may be produced from polymers orfrom composite materials but also from aluminium or from steel in orderto permit the rapid fastening of a given weapon model on the test andadjusting benches.

[0074] In general, the solution according to the invention constitutesan alternative for reducing the time taken to secure weapons to test andadjusting benches.

1. Equipment for receiving a small-calibre weapon for a test benchhaving a mount provided with receiving means for securing the weapon,characterised in that it comprises a receiving means (4, 5) providedwith clamping screws (9, 12) for receiving and locking in position theweapon (A) to be tested, a positioning means (6, 7, 11) carried by thereceiving means (4, 5), an interface (10) moulded on the weapon (A) andthe positioning means (6, 7, 11), the clamping screws (9, 12) connectedto the receiving means (4, 5) and clamping the moulded interface (10)against the weapon (A).
 2. Equipment according to claim 1, characterisedin that the moulded interface (10) is composed of thermoformableplastics material.
 3. Equipment according to claim 1 for a small-arm,characterised in that the receiving means is a seat (5) which is securedto the mount (2) of the test bench, the positioning means is constitutedby two grooved plates (6, 7) which are connected by clamping screws (9)which extend through them and which are fastened to the seat (5), thegrooved surfaces (61, 71) of the plates (6, 7) being turned towards oneanother in order to receive between them the interface moulded on theweapon.
 4. Equipment according to claim 3, characterised by positioningmembers (53, 54) associating the plates (6, 7) and the seat (5), inaddition to the clamping screws (9).
 5. Equipment according to claim 3,characterised in that the grooves of the plates (6, 7) are channels (61)which are distributed in accordance with a grid pattern.
 6. Equipmentaccording to claim 1 for receiving a long weapon or a hip weapon,characterised in that the receiving means is a U-shaped stirrup (4)provided with positioning means constituted by imprint-marking screws(11) screwed into the U-shaped stirrup and extending through the latterin a limited manner in order to project into the housing of the U-shapedstirrup (4), these imprint-marking screws (11) being replaced byclamping screws (12) which clamp the weapon (A) after the interface hasset, being accommodated in the imprints produced by the marking screws(11).
 7. Equipment according to claim 6, characterised in that theinterface is in the shape of a U following the contour of the housing ofthe stirrup (4).
 8. Equipment according to claim 6, characterised inthat the marking screws (11) are composed of stainless steel.
 9. Methodfor using the receiving equipment according to claims 1 to 5,characterised in that a mass of thermoformable plastics material isprepared by heating it in order to bring it into the plastic state, thethermoformable plastics mass is applied in the pasty state divided intoone or more portions (CR) on the regions of the weapon (A) to beclamped, the weapon is installed between the grooved plates (6, 7) andthe assembly is clamped onto the seat (5), when the plastics materialhas hardened, the interface may be unmoulded and/or tests may be carriedout.
 10. Method for using the equipment according to claims 1 and 6 to8, characterised in that a mass of thermoformable plastics material isprepared by heating it in order to soften it and bring it into theplastic state, the imprint-marking screws are screwed in with a limitedovershoot in place of clamping screws, the weapon is arranged in thestirrups, the portion of the weapon to be gripped and theimprint-marking screws are surrounded from below and from the lateralsides with the thermoformable plastics material which has been softenedto the pasty state and which is applied by packing, when the imprint hasset, that is to say, after it has cooled, unmoulding is carried out, themarking screws (11) are replaced by the clamping screws (12) in thestirrup (4) in order to clamp the weapon for tests, the clamping screwsbeing accommodated in the housings produced using the marking screws.